The World's Coolest Underwater Hotel Rooms

Manta Underwater Room, Manta Resort, Tanzania

 

Lapped all around by the Indian Ocean waves, guests in the floating underwater room at The Manta Resort regularly wake up to find reef fish and octopus ogling them as they lounge in their supremely comfortable king-size bed. This extraordinary underwater chamber, which lies 820 feet (250m) offshore from the luxury resort on Pemba Island, is on the bottom floor of a three-level floating structure, which includes a lounge and bathroom at sea level.

 

Designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, who is known for creating alternative living environments, the Manta Underwater Room floats, anchored to the ocean floor. It’s located in an area nicknamed the Blue Hole, a private lagoon in the middle of a conservation area that attracts some of the rarest species in these waters. Guests are brought out to the special suite by boat from the luxury five-star island resort and left alone to enjoy their utterly private escape.

 

 

By day, Pemba Island has some excellent dive sites for guests to discover, including some deep ones where napoleon wrasse fish, potato grouper, cubera snapper, turtles and white tip sharks are all likely spots. But the Underwater Room really comes into its own at night as spotlights set up on all sides of the structure attract shy ocean dwellers to come a little closer. For a change of scene, guests can climb a ladder to the roof of their off-shore retreat to lie on the double day bed and watch the stars.